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Electrical and Electronic Engineering Technologists and Technicians vs Electrical and Electronics Drafters: what changes?

Consider Electrical and Electronic Engineering Technologists and Technicians if you want to apply electrical and electronic theory and related knowledge, usually under the direction of engineering staff, to design, build, repair, adjust, and modify electrical components, circuitry, controls, and…. Consider Electrical and Electronics Drafters if you would rather prepare wiring diagrams, circuit board assembly diagrams, and layout drawings used for the manufacture, installation, or repair of electrical equipment. Both list associate's degree; compare training and prior experience separately.

Try this next: Compare three local entry-level postings for Electrical and Electronic Engineering Technologists and Technicians and Electrical and Electronics Drafters. List the duties, credentials, prior experience, and paid training each employer actually asks for. Try a supervised class or sample project from each field before choosing a program.

BLS 2025 wages and 2025–2035 projections. National medians are not starting offers. Occupation size is not a count of vacancies. View the BLS data.

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What this means in practice

The facts most likely to affect your decision

Start with earnings, the route into the job, training, available openings, and a day-to-day reality.

Electrical and Electronic Engineering Technologists and Technicians

National median pay (2025)
$78,190
Route into the job
Associate's degree
Prior related experience
No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
Training and licensing
BLS does not list a separate on-the-job training requirement. Employers may still provide orientation and role-specific training.
Work to investigate
Modify, maintain, or repair electronics equipment or systems to ensure proper functioning.
Annual openings (2025–2035)
8,100
Know before you choose

Review the full career brief for day-to-day working conditions.

See the full Electrical and Electronic Engineering Technologists and Technicians brief

Electrical and Electronics Drafters

National median pay (2025)
$76,870
Route into the job
Associate's degree
Prior related experience
No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
Training and licensing
BLS does not list a separate on-the-job training requirement. Employers may still provide orientation and role-specific training.
Work to investigate
Draft detail and assembly drawings of design components, circuitry or printed circuit boards, using computer-assisted equipment or standard drafting techniques and devices.
Annual openings (2025–2035)
1,400
Know before you choose

BLS projects employment to shrink 3.4% from 2025 to 2035. Openings can still occur when existing workers leave.

See the full Electrical and Electronics Drafters brief
See scores, detailed data, and how the comparison works

How the national numbers differ

1

Electrical and Electronic Engineering Technologists and Technicians has the edge on annual openings

Electrical and Electronic Engineering Technologists and Technicians is at 8,100 annual openings, compared with 1,400 annual openings for Electrical and Electronics Drafters.

2

Electrical and Electronic Engineering Technologists and Technicians has the edge on projected growth

Electrical and Electronic Engineering Technologists and Technicians is at 2.4% projected growth, compared with -3.4% projected growth for Electrical and Electronics Drafters.

3

National pay benchmarks are very similar.

Compare actual offers, expected paid hours, schedule, and benefits before treating either career as the higher-paying option.

57.8/ 100

Electrical and Electronic Engineering Technologists and Technicians

vs
39.2/ 100

Electrical and Electronics Drafters

Each available metric is ranked from 0 to 100 against the careers on ChooseField. The weighted average uses this profile: pay 30%, growth 25%, openings 30%, preparation level 15%. Missing values are not scored as zero; their weights are redistributed across available metrics. Occupation size has zero weight: employment is not accessible vacancies. Preparation categories do not measure admission difficulty or years without earnings. The score summarizes national measures; local opportunities and personal fit still need separate consideration.

Detailed evidence

Electrical and Electronic Engineering Technologists and Technicians vs Electrical and Electronics Drafters

DimensionElectrical and Electronic Engineering Technologists and TechniciansElectrical and Electronics Drafters
Median pay (2025)$78,190$76,870
Pay percentile69.5 percentile67.8 percentile
Projected growth (2025–2035)2.4%-3.4%
Annual openings (2025–2035)8,1001,400
2025 employment96,90018,900
How you qualifyAssociate's degreeAssociate's degree
O*NET preparation groupJob Zone 3Job Zone 3
Related work experienceNo prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
On-the-job trainingBLS does not list a separate on-the-job training requirement. Employers may still provide orientation and role-specific training.BLS does not list a separate on-the-job training requirement. Employers may still provide orientation and role-specific training.

The table reports national benchmarks and reviewed work descriptions. It does not rate personal suitability, job security, or physical safety.

Read Electrical and Electronic Engineering Technologists and Technicians briefRead Electrical and Electronics Drafters brief

Try another comparison

Electrical and Electronic Engineering Technologists and Technicians vs Mechanical Engineering Technologists and Technicians

Compare pay, growth, education, and the tradeoffs that affect the decision.

Electrical and Electronic Engineering Technologists and Technicians
$78,190 · 2.4% growth
Mechanical Engineering Technologists and Technicians
$74,510 · 1.3% growth
Compare careers →

Electrical and Electronics Drafters vs Mechanical Engineering Technologists and Technicians

Compare pay, growth, education, and the tradeoffs that affect the decision.

Electrical and Electronics Drafters
$76,870 · -3.4% growth
Mechanical Engineering Technologists and Technicians
$74,510 · 1.3% growth
Compare careers →
ChooseField compares fields using public labor-market and professional sources.